TONKA TOWN - Tonka Fire Station Playset

What?

Tonka's new range of 'Emergancy services' playsets and toys from Age 3 upwards. Please see the link at the bottom of the review for Tonka's website for more information about the other playsets and vehicles in this range.

This set comes with 2 little men and a Fire car.. I called it a truck.."That's not a Fire Truck!, it's got no ladder!!" "alright mate calm down.." There is however a Fire truck with sounds (and a ladder!) available in the shops. This Firecar is a single moulded hard plastic shell, with four VERY 'grippy' wheels, no skidding with these bad boys! As ever the build of the car is typical with Tonka, you will literally need a hammer to destroy it. 

The two Firemen included are great, not only because one looks like me! Apart from the movable necks, they bend at the waist and shoulders, and also the wrists and ankles. I find for little fingers being too articulated can sometimes be a problem, the 'fully articulated' figure would end up with legs on backwards etc, but these are great. They don't include a fire extinguisher though??! :-(

The Fire Station itself is very sturdy on a flat surface and again I'm sure if it fell off the table it would be fine. The front of the station (garage) extends so number 1 it's more sturdy, number 2 makes it look more 3D and number 3 so you can store the Firecar in the garage.

The doors to the garage obviously open and close, there is a signal to show when the car is in the station (it's a disc that you spin to red or green) 

On the top, at the "communication centre" there is a button on the floor which when pressed with one of the characters or indeed a child's finger activates the 'NeeNoor NeeNoor's'. My Son presses this button all the time singing along "Fiiii-Yerrr, Fiiii-Yerrr, Fiiii-Yerrr, Fiiii-Yerrr".

On top of the computers in the communication centre there is another button which makes a very loud fire alarm sound. 

The fun doesn't stop there though! The firemen can go training in the training tower, which is up the left side of the station (the yellow bit of the station in the above pic). This has a ladder up the side and when the firemen get to the top, they will be met by a roaring fire! (it's a 'slidey-uppy' light up fire) My Son absolutely loves this bit, does a great "Ssshhhhh'ing" sound for the water. 

Once the firemen have put out the fire, they can be attached to the fireman's pole with their hand and pushed to the bottom, this is actually the only gripe I have with the playset, if the slidey bit on the pole was loose you could attach the firemen at the top then they would fall/slide to the bottom, I'm sure something could have been made so only a little friction was added making him slide gently to the bottom...? 

What the boy said:

At first sight of the playset I got a very excited "where did you get this Daddy I love it!!"

"Play with me Daddy..?."

My Son on the whole loves this playset and can play for hours, he's the type of kid that wants you to play with him, so we have great fun on the floor pressing all the buttons and making the firemen run around putting out fires.   

The Verdict:

It's a very well put-together and sturdy playset, a great size too. There's so many toys these days that are just too small and fiddly, I believe this Tonka Range bridges the gap for the 3-5 year olds. There's enough to do with the playset without being overbearing for the age range, e.g. there isn't tons of doors and buttons to open and possibly break. 

As above my only gripe is with the firepole not being slidey enough, and a fire extinguisher or two wouldn't have gone amiss!

How Much!?

Tonka Fire Station Playset RRP - £39.99
Tonka Jail Playset RRP - £24.99
Tonka Fire Engine RRP - £19.99
Tonka Police Ranger RRP - £14.99
Tonka Fire Car RRP - £14.99
Tonka Police Bike RRP - £9.99
Tonka Individual Figure set RRP - £3.99

Please see the Tonka website for the full range , with more info; they have a few fun activities for your kids too! crosswords, spot the difference etc. 

http://www.tonkatown.com/lan/en.